60 in 60: 60 tidbits on the LA Kings’ 60th year as a franchise

60 years. How time flies. On February 9th, 1967, the NHL doubled its size from six to twelve teams; the LA Kings were one of those six teams. The league’s six new teams would begin play starting in the 1967-68 season, officially marking the end of an era for the NHL’s Original Six Teams.

Over the years, the Kings have experienced plenty of ups and downs. With that, and plenty of Hall of Fame players who have donned the King sweater, it got me thinking about the franchise’s moments, stats, and interesting facts.

For the past two weeks, I put together a list of well over 100 facts I either already knew or found through research I hadn’t known. Each number will represent a historical fact or stat.

Here we go!

1) On June 5, 1967, Hall of Fame goaltender Terry Sawchuk was the first-ever player named to the Kings’ roster, being taken first in the 1967 expansion draft. He played one season (1967-68) in Los Angeles before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings.

2) The Kings have won two Stanley Cups in their existence. They captured hockey’s ultimate prize in 2012 and 2014.

Photo credit: Mike Blake/Reuters

 

3) The franchise has been blessed to have three Hall of Fame broadcasters behind the microphone in Jiggs McDonald, Bob Miller, and Nick Nickson.

4) Number four was famously worn by defenseman Rob Blake. Blake spent 14 seasons (two separate stints) with the Kings and recorded 494 points in 805 games. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2014.

5) Defenseman Larry Murphy wore number five in his rookie season. His 76 points as a rookie in the 1980-81 season remain a franchise record to this day.

6) The Kings scored six unanswered goals in Game 3 of their best-of-five playoff series in a 6-5 overtime win against the Edmonton Oilers on April 10th, 1982. The game is famously known as the “Miracle on Manchester.” The Kings would go on to win the best-of-five series in five games.

7) The Kings have seven jersey numbers retired (4, 16, 18, 20, 23, 30, and 99)

8) Goaltender Martin Jones won his first eight games as a rookie in the 2013-14 season.

9) A nine-game win streak the Kings set in the 2009-10 season remains a franchise record.

10) The Kings have had 10 general managers in franchise history, with Larry Regan being named the club’s first-ever general manager on May 17th, 1967.

11) Number 11 is famously worn by future centerman Anže Kopitar. Kopitar played 20 seasons with the Kings and holds the franchise’s all-time points record with 1,316.

12) 12 goals is the most the Kings scored in a playoff game. They did it on April 10th, 1990, against the Calgary Flames in a 12-4 victory.

13) 13 goals against in a playoff game is the most in Kings history. This occurred on April 9th, 1987, in a 13-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

14) The Kings have had 14 team captains in their history.

15) Wayne Gretzky holds the franchise record for most goals in a playoff run when the Kings reached the Cup Final in 1993.

16) Number 16 is famously worn by Marcel Dionne. Dionne is known as the franchise’s first-ever superstar and centered the famous Triple Crown line with Charlie Simmer and Dave Taylor playing on his wings in the late 1970s to early 80’s. Dionne recorded 1,307 career points in 921 games as a King.

17) The Kings have had 17 40- win seasons in team history.

18) Dave Taylor’s number 18 jersey is retired. He played 17 seasons for the Kings and recorded 1,069 points in 1,111 games. He served as the team’s general manager from 1997-2006. He and his staff famously drafted Dustin Brown, Anže Kopitar, and Jonathan Quick during his tenure as general manager.

LA Kings Insider on Twitter: "March 28 - Two years ago....Dustin Brown passed Dave Taylor to become the all-time franchise leader in games played; it was his 1,112th game. https://t.co/hHbk3bfD8Y" / Twitter
Photo credit: Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images

19) The Kings went 19 years (1993-2012) in between their first and second Stanley Cup Final appearances.

20) 20 was famously worn by Luc Robitaille. Robitaille had three separate stints with the Kings, accumulating 1,154 points in 1,077 games. He was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.

21) The Kings famously wore their purple and gold jerseys for 21 seasons before switching to a silver and black color scheme to match the then-Los Angeles Raiders.

22) Marian Gaborik’s 22 points were fourth on the team in the team’s 2014 Stanley Cup run.

23) Dustin Brown had his number 23 retired on February 11th, 2023. Brown captained the Kings to their two Stanley Cups and had 712 points in 1,296 games. He’ll always be remembered for laying Henrik Sedin out in front of the Canucks’ bench in the 2012 playoffs.

24) Number 24 was worn by Alexander Frolov from 2002-10. Frolov was drafted in the first round by the Kings in 2000, becoming the first Russian-born player selected in the first round in Kings history.

25) Wayne Gretzky and Bernie Nicholls hold a joint tie for the longest point streak at 25 games in team history. Gretzky accomplished this feat in the 1990-91 season while Nicholls did it in 1984085.

26) Luc Robitaille holds the record for most power-play goals in a season with 26. He achieved this feat during the 1991-92 season.

27) The Kings have played 27 seasons at Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena.

28) Anže Kopitar, selected in the 2005 NHL Draft, became the 28th first-round pick in the franchise’s history.

29) The Kings won 29 games in the 2019-20 season. The regular season was cut short with the NHL resuming play in a new playoff format in a bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

30) Number 30 is famously worn by goaltender Rogie Vachon. Vachon set a personal best .927 save percentage in the 1974-75 season and appeared in three All-Star Games as a King. His jersey number is retired by the Kings.

31) The Kings have suffered 31 overtime losses in their playoff history.

32) Goaltender Jonathan Quick wore number 32 for the Kings and holds the franchise record for games played (743), wins (370), shutouts in a season (10; 2011-12), and shutouts (57). He won the Conn Smythe trophy as the most valuable player in the 2012 playoffs and has the most wins by an American-born goalie in NHL history with 410.

Jonathan Quick's dominant postseason earns him Conn Smythe Trophy - Yahoo Sports
Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

33) The Kings have 33 overtime wins in their playoff history.

34) The Kings had 34 wins in the regular season and postseason combined in their inaugural 1967-68 season.

35) The Kings have clinched a playoff spot 35 times in their history.

36) The Kings selected defenseman Dave Hutchison with the 36th overall pick in the 1972 draft. He is the only 36th-pick draft selection in Kings history.

37) Jimmy Carson’s 37 goals as an 18-year-old rookie in the 1986-87 campaign are the most scored for a rookie centerman in Kings history.

38) The Kings’ 38 points in the standings in the 1969-70 season are the lowest in franchise history. The club posted a record of 14-52-10 that season.

39) Barry Melrose won 39 games in his first year as head coach for the Kings in the 1992-93 season. He guided the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in five games.

40) Jonathan Quick holds the franchise record for wins by a goalie in a single season with 40 during the 2015-16 campaign.

41) Luc Robitaille’s 41 playoff goals as a King are a franchise record. He played in 94 playoff games as a King.

42) Darryl Sutter’s 42 playoff wins are the most by any coach in Kings history.

43) The Kings won a combined 43 games in the 1995 and 2013 lockout-shortened seasons.

44) Bob Miller served as the Kings’ play-by-play broadcaster for 44 years (1973-2017) and called 3,351 Kings games in his career.

45) Luc Robitaille set the benchmark for most goals as a rookie in Kings history with 45 during the 1986-87 season.

46) The Kings have 46 career home wins against their freeway rivals, the Anaheim Ducks, in regular season history.

47) Dave Taylor’s 47 game-winning goals are the fourth most in Kings history.

48) 48 wins are the most in a season by any Kings team. The 2015-16 and 2024-25 teams accomplished this feat.

49) Jonathan Quick’s 49 playoff wins as a King are the most in franchise history.

50) Jonathan Quick has 50 shootout wins as a King.

51) Jonathan Quick’s 51 wins during the 2011-12 regular season and postseason are the most of any goalie in a regular season and postseason combination.

52) The Kings’ 52 losses in the 1969-70 season are the most in the pre-shootout era (pre-2005).

53) The Kings have 53 wins on home ice against the Edmonton Oilers in regular season history.

54) Jonathan Quick holds the record of 54 saves (4/13/2018 at Vegas) in a playoff game in team history

55) Red Kelly, who served as the team’s first-ever head coach in franchise history, won 55 games in his two seasons as head coach (196-1969).

56) The Kings scored 56 power-play goals combined in their playoff runs from 2010-2014.

57) Eddie “The Jet” Joyal led the team in scoring in their inaugural season with 57 points.

58) The Kings have 58 combined regular season wins against the New York Islanders and New York Rangers in their regular season history.

59) The 2026-27 season will mark the team’s 59th season of play (not counting the 2004-05 lockout).

60) The 2026-27 season will be the team’s 60th season as an NHL franchise (including the 2004-05 lockout)

Featured image credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

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